Music for Commuting: Fred Farell - Distant Song

Fred Farell: Distant Song (Whaling City Sound)
Farell (vocals/lyrics) Richie Beirach (p/comp) David Liebman (ss/ts/comp) June 2015

I ran into Distant Song by chance while browsing Liebman’s discography online. I’ve been enjoying listening to Liebman lately, and his pairing with Beirach is of particular interest - add in a vocalist singing their pieces and it was bit of a no-brainer for me to grab it.



There's a pretty good story behind the recording. Farell comes in contact with Beirach in the early 1970s and begins studying with him. He starts singing the compositions of Liebman and Beirach, has religious awakening, drops out of music, 40 years later he reconnects with Liebman and Beirach to record an album of those songs. And the results are really solid.
As I don't have much from earlier in the careers of Lieb or Beirach,  I’m not familiar with the pieces (although I just heard “Places” on the first Open Sky album), so I need to get around to sourcing some of the instrumental versions. It will be interesting to see how knowing these vocal versions first affects my take on the originals.



Distant Song is an album of ballads. The 10 pieces (five each from Lieb and Beirach) are relatively brief which keeps things moving along, but I wouldn’t have mind something a little more up tempo for variety (a minor complaint). The two instrumental pieces - "Forgotten Fantasies" and "Zal" - break things up a bit.
 It must be a challenge for the composers to hear their work with some other meaning attached to it. So often you end up with these corny lyrics just so a vocalist has something to sing (just sing the melody!). But in this case, Farrel does a great job capturing the mood of Beirach's and Liebman's pieces.

 

Leaving
 
“Countrysides and Towns go by,
 
Like passing dreams,
 
Reality to me becomes the Pain of Leaving You.”



Lonnie’s Song

“But, I see Your Loss was meant to help

Us to grow and show The Way.”

With one exception, Farell 
doesn't improvise, he sings the straight melody with feeling, a nice tone and phrasing

. I don't mind that at all, and in many ways prefer it than listening to a singer that feels compelled to scat in order to be a jazz singer. Beirach takes on the more dominant role (mostly due to accompanying and soloing throughout ), while Lieb contributes short solos with nice melodic touches, along with the odd obbligato or two. Sometimes I get a little bugged with the way Lieb was recorded (is he in a booth?... you can almost hear the separation) and then other times it doesn't bother me at all! So Distant Song turned out to be a really nice surprise. Maybe not a disc with widespread appeal, definitely one for fans of Liebman/Beirach and those interested in lyrics. But he's a nice singer so perhaps your mainstream jazz vocalist fan would enjoy it too. 


I would like to delve a bit deeper into the Liebman/Beirach duo recordings.... add it to the list.

Music for Commuting: More Soprano (I got a fever)

It was Wayne Shorter's 86th birthday last week so 1 + 1 was a fitting (although completely coincidental) choice. I don't hear too many people taking about this album, maybe it's bit of a sleeper in his discography, but I dig it. Bonus points as Wayne sticks to soprano throughout and I particularly like his tone on this album.

It took a bit of hunting to track it down, but I really wanted to find a copy of Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner after reading that David Liebman rates it as one of his finest outings. The album has grown on me over the years and not having listened to it for a while, I really enjoyed it this time around. It's an all-soprano outing - solo with multi-tracked soprano. Lieb signed the album for me following a masterclass at PM Woodwind - I don't know why I didn't ask him about the recording process and how he put the work together. It's a must listen for Liebman fans, those keen on the soprano saxophone, and solo sax recordings. For those interested in composition, it's worth checking out how much Liebman can extract from the brief main theme. And again, completely coincidental, I'm posting this on Lieb's 73rd birthday.

Music for Commuting: Mike Nock Duos with Pike and Liebman

Accompanying the drive today: Beginning and End of Knowing and Duologue. I'll write more on the former later this month. And eventually I'll probably get around to writing something on the Liebman disc too. Both are highly recommended.

In Conversation with Dave Liebman

David Liebman was featured in the October 11, 1973 issue of Down Beat. This is from right around the time he recorded Lookout Farm for ECM. Liebman has a vast discography and I find he overdoes the tribute album thing, so I tend to pick and choose what albums of his I purchase. As I was wrapping up this post I reached for his duo album with Marc Copland, Bookends (HatOlogy) and listened to "Blue In Green." They make a fine duo and this piece hit the spot - Copland has a warm touch and great sense of harmony, and Liebman displays his more mellow side.

And while we're on the subject of duos.... back in June I picked up The Fallout of Dreams (Rogue Art) from the Downtown Music Gallery. During August I finally got around to giving it a few listens. It features Liebman on soprano/tenor/flute/piano/drums alongside poet Steve Dalachinsky (with pianist Richie Beirach joining them on a couple of tracks). If you are interested in jazz/improvised music with spoken word, The Fallout of Dreams is definitely worth a close listen.

Click on the image to view PDF of the full article. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Straight Horning: David Liebman - The Tree

David Liebman: The Tree (Soul Note) 

Solo soprano saxophone, 1991

Although Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner predates this album by a few years, The Tree was Liebman’s first truly solo outing. No overdubs, just solo soprano.

The concept album (along with the tribute album) is bit of a specialty of Liebman, and I think he over does it. The Tree features 12 improvisations (each in the 3-5 minutes range), with the components of a tree used as a conceptual framework for the improvising. Liebman moves from the “Roots,” to the “Trunk,” “Limbs,” “Branches,” “Twigs,” and “Leaves” and then back through the cycle in reverse.

As usual, tone is the first thing that grabs my ear. There’s plenty of buzz to the sound (in the middle register especially). It’s definitely something I associate with Liebman’s sound from this era, but it is particularly apparent on this recording. The conceptual framework of the album works, as the structure brings enough variety to keep things interesting, while Liebman’s trademark chromatic lines and fiery approach to the horn bring continuity to the work.

“Roots” - the less dense of the movements features wider intervals

“Trunk” - snaking lines increasing in boldness

“Limbs” - up-tempo lines moving to breaking point (with the occasional grunt or two)

“Branches” - more lyrical approach with a bit more breathing space, combines approaches of the previous three tracks and hints at things to come.

“Twigs” - airy sounds, trills, and flourishes intensify moving towards leaves.

“Leaves” - wailing altissimo and multiphonics (I think it was Ron McClure who coined the “pet store on fire” phrase when describing Lieb playing this way).

I can’t say Liebman is my favourite soprano player, but as a soprano saxophonist I do enjoy listening to him on the straight horn. It’s a case of enjoying hearing someone who can really play the instrument but not really connecting aesthetically. 

Sunday Evening Playlist

In order to free up space on the book shelf I spent some time on Sunday placing albums into space-saving sleeves. I kept a few albums aside that I haven't listened to in a while and played some tracks from each. Three quarters of an hour well spent.

"The Spinx" and "Folk Tale" from Bruning/Griener/Petrowsky/Prins: Ornette Et Cetera (Jazzwerkstatt)

"Peace on Earth" from David Liebman: The Distance Runner (HatOLOGY)

"Photographers" and "Increased (b)" from Frank Gratkowski: The Voice Imitator (Balance Point Acoustics)

"A Short Time to Sing" from John Butcher: The Geometry of Sentiment (Emanem)

"Part 1" of Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire (Deutsche Grammophon)

David Liebman Masterclass

Last weekend PM Woodwind hosted a master class with David Liebman. A good turn out - pretty much a full house - but (surprisingly for me) less than at the Ernie Watts master class late last year.

Mouthpiece Exercises!!

He spoke about touring as a single and playing with local pick up rhythm sections (as he did the previous night at the Green Mill) and finding common ground with musicians around the world via the jazz reportoire that he broke into two categories: Standards (Great American Songbook/Broadway Tunes etc) & Jazz Standards (works by Miles, Coltrane, Monk et al).  He also spoke about the legacy of the jazz masters and the STANDARD they set when playing the standards - a nice point. 

When the conversation turned to the saxophone the emphasis was on sound. No surprises there for those of us famlilar with Liebman's books and DVDs. Demonstrations of various long tone, overtone, mouthpiece, and oral cavity exercises that Dave came to via Joe Allard's teachings. I explored many of these during my time studying with Richard Tabnik - another saxophonists profoundly influenced by the teachings of Allard. I find working on tone a lot of fun most of the time - The exercises Richard shared with me have stayed part of my ongoing work. They will be with me as I ease back in to regular practice. 


It made a change to hear (and see) someone demonstrating overtones and mouthpieces exercises on soprano - Dave.... you don't need to be so apologetic about sounds emminating from the soprano during these exercises!

Earlier in the year I got up close up view of Sam Newsome playing at smalls however some of the nuance was lost in amongst the quartet. Sunday was a different story  - up close (front row) with his soprano just a few inches away, unaccompanied, everything was clear and present.

He's quite the storyteller too.... the crowd favorite being a recollection from his early days when he headed to Philly and sat in with Rahsaan Roland Kirk's group.... "All The Things You Are, first note is F#, 1,2,1,2,3,4....."